The White Sox have the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 Draft, which comes with an assigned value of $11,350,600, the largest since the bonus-pool era began in 2012. Yet it’s the Pirates who possess the largest overall pool at $19,130,700, another record.
MLB informed the teams of the updated slot values and bonus pools on Wednesday. The pick values increased by 2.5 percent compared to last year, reflecting the growth in MLB revenues.
Chicago had the best odds of winning the Draft Lottery at the Winter Meetings and came away with the top selection. The value of the No. 1 choice rose from $11,075,900 a year ago and makes up the bulk of the $17,592,100 bonus pool for the White Sox, which ranks third among all clubs.
Pittsburgh not only has the No. 5 selection ($8,336,500) but also gained two extra picks — a competitive-balance choice at No. 34 ($2,897,400) and compensation for failing to sign 2025 second-rounder Angel Cervantes at No. 51 ($1,938,100). The Pirates’ total eclipses the previous record of $18,334,000 by the Guardians in 2024. The Rays, who have the No. 2 pick ($10,507,000) and a competitive-balance choice at No. 33 ($2,970,200), also surpass Cleveland’s standard at $19,009,300.
Nineteen teams boast eight-figure bonus pools for 2026, while the World Series-champion Dodgers have the smallest pool at $3,951,900. Los Angeles’ first selection dropped from No. 30 to No. 40 because it exceeded the second surcharge threshold of the competitive-balance tax. It also surrendered its second-, third-, fifth- and sixth-round choices for signing free agents Edwin DÃaz and Kyle Tucker.
The 30 clubs’ bonus pools total $358,662,500, an increase from $350,357,700 a year ago. Teams spent a total of $392,533,711 in signing bonuses for drafted players in 2025, breaking the record of $374,345,077 set the previous year. The Orioles spent a record $21,150,840, surpassing the $20,416,100 paid out by the 2024 Guardians.
Each pick in the first 10 rounds comes with an assigned value, with the total for a club’s choices equaling what it can spend in those rounds without incurring a penalty. If a player taken in the top 10 rounds doesn’t sign, his selection’s value gets subtracted from his team’s pool. Clubs near the top of the Draft often spend less than the assigned value for those picks and use the savings to offer more money to later choices.
Teams that exceed their bonus pool face a penalty. Clubs that outspend their allotment by 0-5 percent pay a 75 percent tax on the overage. At higher thresholds, teams lose future selections: a first-rounder and a 75 percent tax for surpassing their pool by more than 5 and up to 10 percent; a first- and a second-rounder and a 100 percent tax for more than 10 and up to 15 percent; and two first-rounders and a 100 percent tax for more than 15 percent.
In 14 Drafts with bonus pool rules, clubs have outspent their allotments a total of 260 times but never by more than 5 percent. The Cubs, Dodgers and Giants have surpassed their pools every year, and 20 of the 30 teams did so in 2025. The Rockies and Twins never have exceeded their pools.
First round
1. White Sox: $11,350,600
2. Rays: $10,507,000
3. Twins: $9,740,100
4. Giants: $8,988,400
5. Pirates: $8,336,500
6. Royals: $7,746,100
7. Orioles: $7,327,200
8. Athletics: $6,982,600
9. Braves: $6,675,300
10. Rockies: $6,393,100
11. Nationals: $6,133,500
12. Angels: $5,889,300
13. Cardinals: $5,661,300
14. Marlins: $5,444,900
15. Diamondbacks: $5,241,000
16. Rangers: $5,051,900
17. Astros: $4,868,600
18. Reds: $4,695,500
19. Guardians: $4,530,500
20. Red Sox: $4,373,900
21. Padres: $4,224,700
22. Tigers: $4,082,700
23. Cubs: $3,947,600
24. Mariners: $3,818,700
25. Brewers: $3,696,000
Competitive Balance Round A
29. Guardians: $3,270,200
30. Royals: $3,190,500
31. Diamondbacks: $3,118,300
32. Cardinals: $3,044,600
33. Rays: $2,970,200 (from Orioles in Shane Baz trade)
34. Pirates: $2,897,400
35. Yankees: $2,826,700
(first-round pick dropped 10 spots from No. 25 for exceeding second surcharge threshold of competitive-balance tax)
36. Phillies: $2,758,800
(first-round pick dropped 10 spots from No. 26 for exceeding second surcharge threshold of competitive-balance tax)
37. Rockies: $2,696,700
Second round
38. Rockies: $2,633,100
39. Blue Jays: $2,571,700
(first-round pick dropped 10 spots from No. 29 for exceeding second surcharge threshold of competitive-balance tax)
40. Dodgers: $2,504,200
(first-round pick dropped 10 spots from No. 30 for exceeding second surcharge threshold of competitive-balance tax)
41. White Sox: $2,446,100
42. Nationals: $2,388,800
43. Twins: $2,333,200
44. Pirates: $2,278,700
45. Angels: $2,225,800
46. Orioles: $2,181,600
47. Athletics: $2,131,300
48. Braves: $2,081,900
49. Rays: $2,033,400
50. Cardinals: $1,982,700
51. Pirates: $1,938,100 (for failure to sign 2025 second-rounder Angel Cervantes)
52. Marlins: $1,892,500
53. Diamondbacks: $1,848,200
54. Rangers: $1,805,300
55. Giants: $1,763,000
56. Royals: $1,721,700
57. Astros: $1,677,400
58. Reds: $1,637,700
59. Guardians: $1,598,900
60. Padres: $1,561,000
61. Tigers: $1,523,600
62. Cubs: $1,487,200
63. Yankees: $1,451,700
64. Phillies: $1,416,600
65. Mariners: $1,382,600
66. Brewers: $1,353,100